The present invention relates generally to a system to enable software-based options, and more particularly, to remotely verify the status of a multi-vendor supported remote device and, if the remote device is approved, coordinate activation of the desired option though the multiple vendors.
Medical diagnostic devices and supporting systems, such as medical imaging systems, have become increasingly complex in recent years. Examples of such systems include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, computed tomography (CT) systems, ultrasound and x-ray systems, and positron emission tomography (PET) systems. These systems include many different software-based options, some of which are not used depending on customer needs and costs. To add to the complexity of each particular imaging system, many facilities today incorporate a variety of such devices with components from various vendors all of which may not be configured identically. In larger facilities, the systems may be networked to permit common management and control. Further, such systems may be networked with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) for storing digitized image data for subsequent retrieval and reconstruction. Additionally, teleradiology systems that involve transmitting digitized image data to remote locations for review and diagnosis by specialized physicians and/or radiologists may be used as well.
Because these medical diagnostic systems are used by different facilities with differing needs, not all of these systems operate identically. That is, although identical software may be installed at the factory, certain options are not desired or licensed by a customer or user and, therefore, are not enabled when delivered. Furthermore, the in-field devices may include components supported by different vendors.
Improvements in computer networks have greatly facilitated the task of offering assistance to remote facilities with medical imaging devices. In particular, rather than having to call a service center and speak with a technician or engineer, or await the arrival of a field engineer, network technologies have facilitated proactive techniques wherein the service center may contact the medical diagnostic devices directly to check the status of the remote devices.
While such advancements in the provision of remote services to medical diagnostic devices have greatly enhanced the level of service and information exchange, they have not been used to remotely verify the status of an in-field device, grant access to and permit use of software options resident on the in-field device.
As such, a customer wishing to activate an option must contact the vendor of the in-field device, schedule the arrival of a field engineer, and then wait for the field engineer to manually evaluate the in-field device and activate the software-based option. That is, if a customer later wants to add inactive options to their devices, a license must be executed and service personnel with appropriate training must physically travel to the location where the devices are present to enable the software. This process can be particularly lengthy and require that the in-field device be removed from service during servicing by the field engineer.
This problem can be compounded when the device is a multi-vendor supported device. That is, due to the complexity of modern medical diagnostic devices, multiple vendors may be required to support a device. For example, it is not uncommon for modern medical diagnostic devices to incorporate components developed and/or supported by a plurality of vendors. As such, when seeking support of such a device, it may be necessary to contact multiple vendors. Therefore, a customer wishing to activate an option may be required to contact multiple vendors, schedule and coordinate the arrival of a field engineer from the various vendors, and then wait for the field engineer to manually evaluate the in-field device and activate the software-based option.
Therefore, it would be desirable to allow automatic activation of a particular option already resident in memory of a device without requiring multiple levels of human interaction to ensure that enabling the particular option is possible and can be implemented without impairing the usability of the device. It would be desirable to have a system to automatically verify the current status of a device requesting access to a particular option and coordinate activation of the option across the multiple support vendors of the device.